


Phoenix from the Flame

by PhoebeWeatherfieldx



Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto
Genre: All the teen Uchiha angst, Fluff and Angst, Gen, He's Alive!, Reincarnation, Sibling Bonding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:55:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25015828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoebeWeatherfieldx/pseuds/PhoebeWeatherfieldx
Summary: Years after dying, Itachi wakes up in Boruto Uzumaki's body. Given a new chance at life, Itachi is now determined to discover why he was chosen to return and hopes to right any previous wrongs and bring closure to the past. To do that, however, he has to navigate this new life and new teammates... Which is just perfect since his brother is his sensei.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 43





	1. The Return

**Author's Note:**

> I was motivated to write this because I always wondered what Sasuke and Itachi's relationship would be if he was able to see Adult Sasuke, and I always wondered what Itachi and Sarada's relationship would be like if they ever met.
> 
> And decidedly it's a little messy since he's in Boruto's body and she has no idea.

It starts like a dream. He always struggles to remember where he is when he first wakes up-- or maybe he keeps reality at bay on purpose--sifting through past memories and lifetimes until he finally lands on the present time and location.

Is he at home, in Konoha, waking to Sasuke’s eager hands shaking him?  _ No. That’s long gone.  _ Did he oversleep and now is late for an Anbu mission?  _ No. You haven’t been in the Anbu for over six years.  _ Is he on the cold forest floor, to sleep away the cough that just kept getting worse, with Kisame as a look out--

This is the point his memory always betrays his reality and he awakes, disappointed, covered in red clouds rather than a red fan. Today should be no different.

_ Wait. When was the last time I saw Kisame...?  _

“BORUTO!”

However, today  _ is  _ different. The present just won’t present itself.

“BORUTO! WAKE UP!” 

His mind isn’t syncing and it won’t lift the cloud of sleep that always fades by now; for some reason he can’t settle on his last memory. Academy, Anbu, Akatsuki all swirl together until he can’t recall the actual timeline. Was the Akatsuki before or after he left Konoha…?  _ Because I feel like I just kissed my mother goodbye before an Anbu mission.  _

_ When did I last see my mother?  _ The more he tries to sink into the memory the fuzzier it becomes. His mother’s face is now just sand that sifts through his fingers the more he desperately tries to hold onto it; the harder he focuses on one, the less he remembers.  _ Wait, do I have a mother? Where is she? _

_ No. The Akatsuki. That’s it. But where am I supposed to be…?  _

“BORUTO! WAKE UP!”

But Sasuke.  _ Where is Sasuke?  _ The memories of Sasuke feel especially ancient and crumbling.  _ I wouldn’t leave Sasuke.  _ A small boy, wild grin, staring up at him in awe flashes across his mind.  _ ...But didn’t I just see Sasuke?  _ A tall, grimacing boy slashes away the first memory with a sword and takes his place.  _ I just saw Sasuke…  _ Where _ did I see Sasuke... _

“BORUTO!” 

Right. It’s piecing together now. He just saw Sasuke most recently.  _ But why?  _ The fog clouds the onset of the memory but the fringes are there, singed by fire, but there.  _ Sasuke. He was in front of me-- Where’s Kisame? Where’s my dad?-- No, focus. Sasuke was there. He wanted something. What did he want? _

“I NEED A MEDICAL NIN. BORUTO!”

_ He wanted to fight me… but why? Why can’t I remember… FOCUS.  _ Sasuke’s face looms menacingly, in and out of focus.  _ Wait. Didn’t we fight… didn’t I let him win…  _ Ashes of memory float down from the sky and freeze on his brain.

_ Wait. WAIT. Aren’t I-- _

“--DEAD. BORUTO IS DEAD.”

* * *

In that moment Itachi felt his consciousness collide with the ground; the lifetimes and memories knocked into each other and breath into him again. His senses popped to life one by one: first, the muffled voice screaming names he didn’t know that grew louder with each second until his ears rang from the shrill screeching; second, the frozen earth rising into his back and the deep ache in his lungs as he took the deepest breath that he was sure ballooned him like a cartoon character; third, thick, warm copper filling his mouth, choking him; fourth, smoke swirling around in his nostrils that he recognized immediately as the smell of paper bombs; fifth--

He opened his eyes. Two red eyes, shiny from tears and inches from his face, stared back at him. Red eyes.  _ Red _ eyes.  _ The sharingan?  _

He tried to pull away in shock to get a better look, but the girl they belonged to turned her head. “BORUTO IS ALIVE! Please, anyone, please!” she yelled into the darkness then lowered her voice as she gripped his body tighter. “Boruto, don’t move. I think you broke your back, so you need to stay still. Help will be here soon.”

Itachi suddenly noticed the explosion of pain in his back and didn’t say anything. He laid in this strange girl’s arms, pain radiating through his body, and let the situation soak in naturally. He was always a contemplator, a thinker: now would be the best time to piece together what happened since he couldn’t move anyway. From what Itachi’s mind, quickly calculating now, could gather of his surroundings was that he was in the middle of some sort of battle and something clearly knocked him out. 

But he was supposed to be dead, that he was sure of: those memories came flooding back as soon as he hit the ground. So how could he be here now, in the shadow of the forest, taking deep breaths, trying to steady his pain? He couldn’t be reanimated again-- he didn’t have pain as a reanimated corpse. Plus, how was it possible that the last eyes he saw belonged to his brother but he awoke to the same ones on a girl?  _ Sasuke was last with the sharingan.  _ Who was this girl? 

“The enemy is retreating!” A second person emerged from the shadows panting. His eyes immediately narrowed in on Itachi and he grimaced. “Fuck, Boruto, you’re in bad shape. We have to get him back immediately.”

Boruto. They kept calling him that. 

“Who…Boruto...?” he sputtered. Blood trickled from his mouth and down the back of his throat as he talked, effectively choking him and stopping him from finishing his thought. 

The girl and boy exchanged worried glances at each other. “I think we need your mom.”

“I agree, but how are we going to get him out without hurting him more?”

The boy turned his head to face the darkness that continually seeped in through the trees and threatened to swallow them if not for the sliver of moonlight peeking through the leaves. “Both of your dads went up ahead, but they should be coming back soon. Hopefully.” 

Both stopped talking for a moment as if to listen for any sounds of life in the shadows but only the soft whisper of the wind responded. “And if not…?” she asked after a pregnant moment.

“We have to get him back ourselves,” he responded. “It’s risky but we can do it. I can use shadow strangle to keep him in place.”  _ Shadow strangle _ , Itachi noted.  _ A Nara.  _ Then another thought burst into the forefront, clouded as though whispered, yet distinct:  _ Shikadai.  _ Itachi didn’t know a Shikadai, yet somehow he was sure the boy’s name was Shikadai Nara. 

“Okay, this is going to hurt a little,” Shikadai interrupted his ruminating, “so I’m sorry…” Itachi suddenly felt his whole body squeeze together and his back radiate fire. He let out a whimper and blood once again dribbled from his mouth; the girl wiped it quickly before gingerly lifting him.

“Shit, Boruto, maybe it’s time to lay off the burgers,” she teased as she began to shuffle forward parallel to Shikadai in order to keep the shadow strangle in place; Shikadai barked out a single dry laugh and a tired thought emerged in Itachi’s mind:  _ They’re my friends _ .  _ They’re teasing me.  _

The kids moved quietly through the trees, making minimal noise but not taking enough care shinobis usually do to remain absolutely discreet; they needed to get their friend back as soon as possible and total anonymity was not the most important part of their mission at the moment. “Where is ChoCho? Or Inojin?” the girl finally whispered to break the rising tension. 

“We were separated.”

Silence. Itachi knew all too well what that silence could mean. “But they’re okay,” Shikadai finally finished, as though answering Itachi’s thoughts. “I trust they’ll get back safely. We just couldn’t wait for them.”

In Itachi’s mind, sleepy shadows emerged at their names; the names sounded familiar but he couldn’t quite place them, as though they were from a long-forgotten dream. Where were these memories coming from?  _ These people weren’t from Konoha otherwise I would have known them. _

Though blurry, his eyes suddenly caught the gleam of the girl’s headband catching in the moonlight. The leaf symbol blinded him for a moment.  _ But they  _ are.

He lay back, watching the girl stare straight ahead through the trees, jaw clenched, her arms wrapping him tightly to her. She looked determined and clearly knew her way through the thicket of trees belonging to the Land of Fire. These kids called the Leaf Village home just as he did, but at the same time if they were kids Itachi would definitely know them, he thought. They couldn’t be much younger than Sasuke, if at all. 

At that moment the girl’s red eyes flashed in the moonlight and drew the thought to the forefront of Itachi’s mind again:  _ How did she have the sharingan when Sasuke was the last with it-- besides Kakashi-- and he just saw Sasuke so recently? _ He needed to find his brother to tell him about this new development. But tell him what exactly…? That he was back? He still couldn’t complete the puzzle with the limited jagged pieces presented to him: he was being carried through the trees by a girl with a sharingan and being called by another name. Where did Itachi completely fit in this? And how did he have knowledge, however murky, that he didn’t have before? 

“We’re lucky Lord Seventh came along,” the girl spoke again.

“And your dad. Sasuke came as soon as you and Boruto disappeared-- honestly it was impeccable timing.”

_ Sasuke.  _ Itachi’s mind fired to life again at the name, it knocking out more dust and sleep that settled around his brain. “Sasuke…” he whispered aloud.

“Always worried more about my dad than your dad,” the girl tsk-ed teasingly. “Oh, no, the moon!”

_ Dad?  _ Itachi’s mind fought to quickly complete the puzzle of who and where he was, the name  _ Sarada _ on the shore of his thoughts. But before he could commit it to memory, another wave of pain ripped the thought in half and consumed him as the shadow strangle faltered. He battled to stay afloat, but the pain pulled him below the surface of consciousness and filled his lungs. 

Again, only darkness. 


	2. So We Meet Again (But You Just Don't Know It)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Itachi gets a blast from the past in seeing his brother again, along with some familiar-- and unfamiliar-- faces.

“He’ll be alright. Sore from the surgery, obviously, but he’ll be back to training within two weeks if he takes it easy.” Itachi’s consciousness emerged to the murky surface at the voice, and he once again found himself immediately fatigued from climbing the mental penrose stairs in search of his location. “You have to keep him from training or the recovery time will be longer-- We all know how Naruto was when he was supposed to rest and heal, so we have to keep a tight watch on him.”

“Thank you, Sakura,” a soft voice whispered. Mom, his inner voice piped in. Mom. Itachi’s eyes burst open, but instead of finding Mikoto Uchiha at the foot of his bed, he was met with blinding sunlight and the outlines of two unfamiliar women. As his eyes adjusted to the sun, their images solidified: a pink haired woman in a white coat-- the doctor-- and a short black haired woman wringing her hands nervously. 

But the woman with the black hair was definitely not Mikoto Uchiha...however, an intangible ache in Itachi’s core told him she was his mother; he couldn’t say how he knew, it was just a fact that could be categorized under “one of those things.” He noted two identical yet conflicting thoughts running parallel to each other: his memory flashed the tight embrace of his mother, an Uchiha, the day he graduated from the academy. Yet...yet he also remembered this woman hugging him outside the school as he proudly stared at his shiny new headband. Her byakugan (his mother was not a Hyuga) stared back at him, tears pouring over, proud yet heartbroken at this new milestone. 

Somehow Itachi was having the same exact memories-- the last day of school-- from two differing perspectives. How was that possible? It was definitely not a genjutsu; they were both full, fleshed out, breathing memories. They were alive and true. They had their own hearts, pumping blood through Itachi, delivering the emotions his body had stored when they occured. These weren’t dreams. He experienced both. He remembered both. Somehow.

A knock erupted from the door on the other side of the curtain. “Knock, knock…” a raspy voice called out.

The women’s heads snapped toward the voice. “Oh my gosh, thank you for coming too,” his mother whispered and moved out of sight to greet whoever had just entered. “That will mean so much to Boruto to know you were here.”

“Of course I had to visit my student,” another voice growled lowly, keeping his voice down in a way the first one didn’t. “What’s his prognosis?”

That deep voice...where did he know it? It was familiar but off. He knew it, yet...

At that moment two tall men stepped onto his side of the curtain. Both looked down at him, but his eyes locked like magnets onto only one pair of eyes. They were eyes that he knew. The same eyes he himself had. Black eyes that he spent his entire childhood staring down at. But now here he was, staring up into them, and this time they were set into the face of a grown man...not the face of his baby brother.

While Itachi felt his blood freeze, the other man made no indication that he realized the person in the bed was his older brother. “Oh good,” he said nonchalantly. “You’re awake. You’re definitely looking a lot better than you did yesterday… What’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Sasuke,” he breathed. “You’re here!”

“Oh wow, you’re happy to see Sasuke but completely ignore me?” The other man stuck his neck in front of Sasuke’s, cutting off eye contact, and waved his hands at Itachi’s face. 

Itachi’s eyes settled on the blonde hair and whiskers belonging to the waving man. “Naruto!” Naruto was here too! So he did it! He saved his baby brother and brought him home… But he didn’t just save him though, he noted. They clearly were friends! All his hard work and dreams for Sasuke had come true and were manifesting in front of him in a second floor hospital room. 

The blonde’s eyes bulged now as Sasuke smirked beside him. “Naruto?!” he cried. The women laughed. “Sakura, I thought you said you could fix him, but he doesn’t even know me! How about dad, Boruto? You can call me dad!”

“Dad?” Just then the whole scene paused for Itachi. The people in front of him melted to black as the thought that had been worming around in his brain finally burrowed. It was why he could remember two similar memories from different vantage points with different people; it was why he was referred to as Boruto and why Sasuke didn’t even react to seeing Itachi’s face. It was because he wasn’t Itachi… Well, he was Itachi; he still had Itachi’s memories after all. In mind he was Itachi, yes, in spirit. But he was another person in body. He was a child. He was Naruto’s son. He was Sasuke’s student. He was Boruto Uzumaki.

“Uh, Boruto?”

Itachi snapped out of his thoughts to see the four adults’ eyes narrowed at him at the foot of his bed; Naruto had just chastised him for not calling him dad and here he was just silently staring at them with tears suddenly dripping down his face.

“I-I was just joking, you know,” Naruto said. “You don’t have to cry.”

Itachi hurriedly swiped his hand across his eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m not crying. I just…” He could feel his heart welling up again at the sight of his brother’s eyebrows knitted together. Though Sasuke was staring at him less concerned and more with a What the hell is wrong with this kid kind of glare, he knew the significance of just looking at his brother again. “I’m just really happy you’re all here. ...And I’m here.”

Naruto’s mouth spread into a smile and he sat down at the edge of the bed. “We’re so happy too!” he said. “It was really touch-and-go for a while. You really scared us. Sarada filled a lot of the holes of what happened, but you’re lucky Sasuke and I were there.”

“Sarada…?” Itachi asked, confused. 

“You don’t remember Sarada?” Naruto and Sasuke asked simultaneously.

“Uh…” Shit. He needed to stop asking questions if he didn’t know something or else people were going to be concerned; he needed to just let others take the lead until more memories rose to the surface.

“He had a rough surgery,” Sakura piped in. “He definitely still has a concussion too, so it may take him a while to return to normal. Sooooo…” She pointed to Naruto and Sasuke. “Visitors. Out. Let the boy rest.”

Itachi was pleased to see both men frown, with Naruto grabbing Itachi’s ankle as though touching his son could keep him there. “I just wanted to ask him some things about the mission,” Sasuke offered.

“You can ask him when he is feeling better,” Sakura sighed and shooed them with their hands. “Come back tomorrow.” 

Naruto squeezed Itachi’s ankle before leaning closer to him. “Don’t worry, kid. We’ll bust you out of here. We’re good at that.” He winked at him and Itachi’s heart skipped a beat in response. 

“No! Out!” Sakura cried, and busted Naruto on his head with her fist. The blonde jumped from the bed and hurried after Sasuke, who was already safely out of the room. 

“Okay, okay! But this is my son too remember!” Naruto spewed.

“You won’t have a son if you don’t let him rest properly!”

Itachi had never seen Sasuke interact with his teammates, but he knew that he made the right choice in leaving Sasuke to Naruto. Even with the chastising, Itachi could feel the love emanating from all three toward each other; Sasuke had definitely changed, clearly loving his disciple enough to visit him when the last Sasuke he met was cold and self-centered, and he respected this woman enough to follow her orders. 

“Are you going to let her stay but not me?!” Naruto’s voice was outside the room now and sounded muffled, as though he was holding something in front of his face, perhaps to shield himself from this woman’s wrath.

“Mothers get priority, and she isn’t so loud like you!” Sakura yelled. Yeah. So much quieter.

His mother giggled. “Well, I’ll be going then too,” she said and turned to her son. “I’ll be back tomorrow, but do you want me to bring anything now?”

Itachi’s mind instantly went into overdrive; this was his chance to eat what he had been missing!

“Dango!”

“Dango?” she laughed. “I figured you’d want Thunder Burger!” Shit. Does he not like dango? “But if that’s what you want… I’ll be back in a bit.” 

She slipped out the door, leaving Sakura and Itachi alone. Sakura turned to grab her files from the bedside table. “We’re just going to run a few more tests first then--”

As she turned her back to him, Itachi caught a gleam of the Uchiha crest on the back of her coat.

“You’re an Uchiha,” he blurted.

Sakura slowly turned back to him, eyeing him curiously. “Y-yes…” she said. “Boruto, do you know who I am?” 

Itachi stared silently at her; she was someone’s mom, right? Sarada’s name was just under the surface but his brain couldn’t catch it.

Sakura just nodded her head as if she understood. “It’s okay, you may just have to stay for a little longer while we monitor you, okay? We’ll talk more later. Just rest right now.”

She collected the rest of her items and smiled warily at him before walking out of the room. Itachi was now alone with his thoughts, a whole infinity to explore.


	3. Let Me Go

Hours later Itachi lay still in his bed, staring at the ceiling. When his mother came back with the dumplings he asked for, he pretended to be asleep to avoid any more conversation until he could internalize what had happened and create a plan. 

He realized that last night as one soul was ripped away in that battle, another-- his-- came screaming down to earth to fill the void, on fire and smoldering from the trip, cooling inside the pores and bones and cells until the body filled again with life. Boruto’s life extinguished but Itachi’s spirit lit the body again. Somehow, with no memory, he inhabited the son of a man he entrusted his will to and the student of his little-- now bigger-- brother. This couldn’t be a coincidence. There was no way the universe would give him a second chance, especially in a fairy tale set up like the one he was living.

The question for Itachi now shifted: it was no longer the question of what had happened but why had it happened. He knew he was given another life in the village but why was he given the second chance? Was he here for something that only he could aid with? He felt the familiar sting of tears brimming over his eyes and made the promise that as long as he was here, he would answer this question. He could use his previous intelligence and wisdom and couple it with whatever this Boruto kid had to achieve something.

...And maybe, just maybe, he could even right some of the wrongs he made his first time around.

While sitting up in bed that evening, eating his dango and staring out at the brightly lit Leaf Village, he created a few self rules. 

He knew he had to keep quiet so as to not give himself away or draw suspicion to himself: no mention of the past until someone clarifies for him.   
Jumping off of number one, using this silence to learn as much about Boruto-- or rather himself-- as possible.   
Spend as much time with Sasuke as he could; clearly whatever reason he was here for had to do with him, right?  
Learn who this Uchiha woman was.  
Or really learn about this new Leaf Village-- it had really changed in the years since he left.  
5a. Figure out how much time has passed since he died.  
Get some more dangos.

Now it was past midnight and he couldn’t sleep with the buzz of promises that tomorrow could bring. He had so much to do and figure out; so much life to live, puzzles to piece together, battles to fight. Wrapped in the warm covers of a daydream about walking the gleaming village again, he finally fell asleep.

“He may still be sleeping.” The next morning Itachi woke again to hushed voices.

“I’ll just leave the flowers then and come back later with Sarada.”

Itachi’s eyes snapped open. An unfamiliar boy and the Uchiha doctor from yesterday were standing at the end of the bed, eyeing him cautiously. The boy placed the flowers on the bedside table and smiled. “You gave us quite a fright!” he exclaimed. 

Itachi smiled politely back and tried to think of something to say that didn’t involve who they were. “Thank you for the flowers,” he landed on. 

“Mitsuki.”

“Excuse me?”

“My name is Mitsuki,” the boy repeated. “We were told you did not have the best memory yesterday, so if you don’t remember me, which by the looks of your face you do not, my name is Mitsuki.”

“Thanks...Mitsuki.” No use hiding it that he didn’t know he was.

Mitsuki sat down at the end of his bed and dug into his pocket. He pulled out a picture with four people in it; Itachi only immediately recognized Mitsuki. “Here’s our team,” he said pointing to each person. “This is Konohamaru sensei and that’s Sarada.”

“...And that’s me,” Itachi finished. Itachi realized he never actually looked at his new self in the mirror. It was uncanny to him how much he looked like Naruto. 

Mitsuki placed the picture down next to the flowers. “I thought if you were going to be here a while, that maybe you’d want this to look at so you didn’t get lonely,” he said.

“Thank you.” Itachi reached for the picture to look closer at it and instantly felt a ping of recognition. “Oh, wait!” he cried. “I know her! She was there the other night. Sarada.” It was the girl-- the girl with the sharingan!

“Yeah...she saved you. She and Shikadai.” The Nara, whispered a voice in the back of Itachi’s mind.

Itachi stared closer and ran a finger over the smiling girl. 

“That’s my daughter,” the doctor piped in.

Itachi looked up. “What?”

“My daughter,” she said again.   
The gears in Itachi’s mind wound quickly. He gaped up at her, confused. “Daughter?” he asked. How old is Sasuke?

“Yes.”

This woman was an Uchiha. The girl with the sharingan was her daughter. That meant…

“Wait, are you married to Sasuke?”

The woman threw her head back and laughed. “You remember Sasuke and recognize the Uchiha crest, but you don’t remember me or Sarada?” she said. “The mind is a strange thing. Yes, Sasuke and I are married.”

Itachi could only stare now as his brain worked quicker to connect the pieces. This woman was married to his brother, which means… His teammate was his brother’s child. The girl who saved him was...was his niece.

At once he could feel the familiar sting of tears brimming over his eyes.

He recognized the woman’s furrowed expression as the same one she gave him yesterday when he became overwhelmed at realizing what happened to him. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“I...I’m just so happy,” he sniffed.

“That we’re married?” she asked, amused. No, that Sasuke found redemption.

“That you have each other. Family is really important.” Both the doctor and Mitsuki raised an eyebrow at his response and Itachi quickly backtracked. Remember rule number one. Apparently what he said was not typical for Boruto. “I-I realized that because of what happened,” he said. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking the past two days.”

Oh my GOD. He has a NIECE. Sasuke has a WIFE.

Suddenly a new idea popped into his head. He pushed himself on his arms to sit up; he felt a little pain, but bit his tongue to not show it. “Um, question,” he began. “Speaking of family… When can I go home?”

Sakura sighed and sat down on the bed on the side opposite of Mitsuki “Well, honestly, it may be awhile. You know your memory may need some time returning and we don’t want you re- injuring yourself if you leave too soon; you might overwhelm your mind and body.”

Shit. Itachi knew the best way to learn about himself, the possibilities for why he was alive, and finagle his way back into his brother’s life was to get out of this hospital. Think, Itachi.   
“I’d really like to recover at home. I think my memory will work itself out if I’m able to be around people and not just the random visitor.” He gestured to Mitsuki.

“I don’t really think that’s a possibility right now,” she replied. “If you overexert yourself, you’ll land yourself right back in the hospital.”

“Shouldn't that mean I should go home to learn? Please. I’ll refrain from training, I just want to get out of here.”

Sakura rolled her eyes. “So impatient. More and more like your dad every day, aren’t you.”

But Itachi pressed harder; he needed out. “Please. Let me move around,” he said. “I can prove to you I’m well enough to go home.”

“How?”

An idea popped into his head. “Shuriken. I can show you my brain is well enough if I can hit targets. Please.” Buy it...buy it…

Sakura stared at him hard for a few moments before softening her glare. “Okay,” she said. “Only because you’re so insistent, and only because I don’t want to hear your incessant complaining. I’m only humoring you. But if I see any indication that you’re not fit enough to leave--”

“--I won’t ever ask again and you can keep me for as long as you like. No complaints.” He crossed his heart.

Mitsuki snorted. “I’d like to see that.” Itachi just grinned.

A few minutes later Itachi was being wheeled to the rooftop. He was sure he still had his old skills, but he also wanted to use this as a way to be sure. What abilities did he still possess and what skill did Boruto have?

As soon as Mitsuki stopped the wheelchair, Itachi tried to stand. Sakura stuck an arm out. “Maybe you should sit--”

“I’m fine,” he said and pushed her arm away. In front of him he saw training logs stationed sporadically around the roof as a way to keep patients active if their rehabilitation called for it. Mitsuki dropped a bag of shuriken into his hand and Itachi fingered the sharp edges from the outside. It felt like coming home.

Slowly he took them out one by one. Even in his new body he still had muscle memory and could feel his hands unconsciously moving over them until they were in the right position. Ready. He closed his eyes, wound his arms back, the first time in twenty years, and released. He heard the sharp wizzing of the shuriken and eight thuds, one by one, all at the same moment. Opening his eyes, he saw all targets marked perfectly. Mitsuki and Sakura stood next to him wide eyed.

“I’m going to be honest, I wasn’t expecting that,” Mitsuki said. “You’re good, but I haven’t seen that yet from you.”

You still got it. He knew he would. Itachi turned his head to stare hungrily up at Sakura for a response. “Soooo…”

“I--”

“Sakura Uchiha.”

Before she had a chance to respond, a booming voice interrupted. All three turned their head to see two masked men standing at the roof’s doorway. Sakura instantly hurried over without a glance back.

“I wonder what the Anbu is here for,” Mitsuki whispered.

They watched as the men spoke in low tones to Sakura for a few seconds; she only nodded along silently.

She returned a moment later and the two men disappeared into the air behind her.

“Is everything okay?” Itachi couldn’t stop himself from asking.

“You’re free to go,” she said.

“What?” 

“You’re released. You can go home.”

Itachi knew he should’ve been grateful, but for some reason he didn’t feel that at all; he had a creeping feeling that his release had less to do with the skills he just displayed and more about the visit from the Anbu. 

Looking to dispel his theory, he stared into her face. All he saw mirrored back was worry.


	4. The Anbu

“Why do you think the Anbu was there?” 

Itachi and Mitsuki strolled slowly down the almost-empty back roads to the Uzumaki home. Mitsuki offered to take him after Sakura released him, helping him get home safely since Itachi admitted he may have not totally remembered how to get home; he could see a vague outline of the house but didn’t know the streets to get there. He was patient while Itachi limped along after refusing any help; he wanted to regain his strength on his own.

“I don’t know. I think they might want to talk to you and work with you.”

“Me?” Itachi asked. “Why me?”

“Because of the mission the other night.”

“But I don’t remember anything from the mission,” Itachi snorted, “so I think that would be futile. Why don’t they ask someone else?”

“Because Sarada said you were trailing someone and went off on your own before you got hurt. You yelled that you found something then went quiet. Then she found you. That’s around the time your dad showed up and they retreated. ...Are you okay?”

Itachi stopped limping along for a second as Mitsuki’s words sank in. So Boruto saw something. Maybe the reason he was back was tied to whatever Boruto had seen; maybe there was a connection. 

“Yeah...sorry.” He started walking again, banking the thought to continue later.

“If you saw something, they would need to talk to you,” Mitsuki continued. “Whether you remember or not they’ll be able to get it out of your head. You have important information locked in your brain.” 

But the Anbu? What about just the intel unit? Why was the Anbu involved with this?

“So where were you during all this?” Itachi asked. “Was our whole team out together?”

“No.” Itachi noticed that for the first time in their conversation Mitsuki averted his eyes. It was nearly imperceptible and only for a millisecond, but Itachi’s-- or rather Boruto’s-- eyes were trained well enough to pick up on this.

“Were you on another mission?” Itachi pressed.

“Something like that.” 

Itachi opened his mouth to respond but, but at that moment Mitsuki stopped walking in front of a house. “Well,” he said, changing the subject. “You’re home. I know you’re unable to train with us for a while, but I promise I’ll visit tomorrow with everyone.”

Itachi glanced at the house and gestured at it. “Do you want to come inside for a bit?” he asked, desperate to continue their conversation. “No need to rush out.”

“No,” Mitsuki said and began to step backwards. “I have some things to take care of. Tell me what the Anbu says?” he added.

“Yeah…sure…” Itachi replied softly, and watched as Mitsuki disappeared in thin air. 

Weird. He didn’t know Mitsuki, obviously, but he knew enough about teammates to know that he was overly vague. Teammates share everything when it comes to a mission. He knew he needed to follow that mystery too, 

“You were released?! And walked home?!” Itachi’s head snapped to see Hinata running toward him, clearly in distress. “I missed Sakura’s call that you were coming home. How irresponsible of you! Can you move okay? I can’t believe you actually walked home when you just had surgery yesterday!”

Itachi opened his mouth to speak but Hinata wrapped her arm around his shoulders and continued on. “I guess nevermind all that; what’s done is done. The Anbu just paid your father a visit and want to talk to you. They wanted to speak to you in his office but I don’t want you traveling and putting too much strain on your body until you’re ready.” She stopped for a moment to stare into his eyes as though to make him realize the weight of the situation. “Your father is coming home and they will interview you here tonight. And before you make a big fuss, your dad will actually be home, he is not sending a shadow clone.”

Shadow clone? Why would he care about that?

“O-okay…” was all he could say.

“Big brother!” A small child suddenly busted out of the door and into their path. Himawari, the small voice in his head whispered.

“Hima, be careful! He’s still weak.”

Himawari grabbed onto his shirt in lieu of hugging him and stared lovingly up at him. “I was so worried! I’m so glad you’re home!”

Itachi felt a familiar warmth flow through him; so Boruto had a doting younger sibling, too. He didn’t know much about Boruto still, obviously, but he could say for certain that he loved his sister with every fiber of his being and would do anything for her. As long as he was here, he would treat Himawari as his Sasuke. He didn’t need to know Boruto to know how to be a good big brother. 

Itachi let Himawari tug on his arm as she led him into the house. She babbled on. “Daddy is coming home tonight so I helped Mommy make a big dinner for him and you!”

“Well, remember, Daddy still has to work,” Hinata piped in. “We’re having visitors tonight so Daddy can’t eat until he’s done.” So Naruto must not be home a lot, Itachi noted. 

Himawari finally let go of his hand and continued on into the kitchen, but he paused to stare at the family pictures cascaded on the hallway wall. Fuck. He felt an indescribable ache in his core as he took in each one. In every picture the family looked so happy...and they had no idea that their oldest child was actually gone, that they had lost their only son. Where was the real Boruto now? Where was this boy with the mischievous grin gripping Naruto’s hand like he never wanted to let go? Is he where Itachi once was? He couldn’t even say where that was.

A noise from the front door distracted Itachi and he turned his head to see Naruto walk through the door. He didn’t see Itachi at first, and he watched from the shadows as Naruto distractedly ran a hand through his hair and stared worriedly at the ground. What is he worried about? Only a second had passed though before he detected Itachi’s presence and looked up, his eyes lighting up upon seeing his son standing in the hall. “Oh, great, you’re home! And standing!” He walked up to his son and held out his fist; Itachi just stared at it for a moment, unsure of what to do.

“What, don’t tell me you forgot our bump too?” Naruto cried. He took Itachi’s hand and balled it into a fist for him before bumping it with his own. 

“Daddy!” Himawari came barreling out of the kitchen again and into her father’s arms. Hinata followed quickly behind. 

“Are they still coming?” she asked her husband softly.

“Yes. I asked if they’d wait since Boruto is still recovering but they insisted on coming tonight.”

Hinata raised her eyebrows at this development. “They...they told you no?”

Naruto shrugged. “I trust them. This is important. I put the Anbu on this afterall; Sasuke and I can’t be there to chase after the enemy again, so they need as much information as possible.”

“Do you think they’ll return soon--” Hinata stopped abruptly like she just realized she was surrounded by her family. Itachi watched her and Naruto stare into each other’s eyes for one more second as though communicating silently before Naruto broke the stare and placed Himawari on the ground. 

“Okay, Boruto, you ready to talk to the Anbu?” he asked. He began to climb the stairs. “I know you don’t have much experience with them yet.”

If you only knew. Itachi nodded silently and followed Naruto upstairs. “So,” he asked, following him into a room. “Will Sasuke be coming too?”

“Sasuke?” Naruto questioned, throwing empty instant ramen cups away from the large desk in the center of the room and kicking dirty clothes under it. “Why would Sasuke be coming?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Itachi lied. “I just thought that since you were here and you and Sasuke both chased after the enemy that night that they’d want both of you.”

Naruto stared curiously at him for a moment before laughing. “You really don’t have faith in me, do you,” he said. “It’s always about Sasuke. I know we don’t always see eye-to-eye but I think I, as the Hokage, can do an okay job speaking to the Anbu with you without Sasuke. What do you think?”

Hokage? Itachi’s surroundings finally struck him. He noticed the Hokage hat hanging on a hook behind the desk and the Hokage cloak draped over Naruto’s shoulders. So Naruto not only achieved his dream of saving his brother, he also managed to become Hokage. Itachi’s heart instantly filled with pride, and he knew he made the right choice in entrusting his will to this man. 

Two sharp knocks suddenly sounded at the door behind Itachi, causing him to jump. The door opened to two masked men and another man in a typical jonin vest; they looked too large and out of place in a cramped doorway in the Uzumaki home.

“Come in, gentlemen,” Naruto offered and gestured to the chairs in front of him. He hurriedly ripped a shirt away that was dangling off of one, and balled it up in his fist.“Take a seat.”

“Thank you for welcoming us into your home, Lord Seventh,” the jonin spoke, pretending to ignore the mess. “And for allowing us to speak to your son.”

They all looked over at Itachi now who was posted awkwardly in the corner beside the door. He moved to sit in the remaining chair.

“Anytime,” he said. “Thank you for allowing the interview to happen in our home to accommodate my son.”

The jonin turned his whole body to face Itachi now and for some reason Itachi felt unease; it had been so many years since he had been in the vicinity with Anbu who weren’t trying to kill him. “Boruto, I’m part of the Intel Unit and we just wanted to ask you a few questions about what you saw the other night,” the jonin said. “Your dad mentioned that you may have limited memory after your accident, and we just want you to know that that’s okay. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself; any little bit will do. And if you don’t remember…” He gestured to the bag at his feet. “We have other ways to search your mind for you. Do you mind if we begin?”

Itachi nodded and noted how calm they all were, probably because they were interrogating the Hokage’s son. Usually, even if they were just probing for innocuous information, they were still more aggressive than this.

“So,” one of the Anbu members began. “Two nights ago, you and three other genin and a chunin were dispatched to recover abandoned documents that were rumored to be in the area that allegedly belonged to the Leaf Village. However, your team was ambushed and came under fire before you were able to complete your mission, and during this time you were separated from your team. Sarada Uchiha said you called to her and claimed you caught the culprit, but by the time she got there you were badly injured. By this point the Seventh Hokage and Sasuke Uchiha were handling the scene of the battle, but they did not see the attackers--” He looked up for a moment at Naruto for verification. “--Is that correct?”

“Correct.”

“So what do you remember, Boruto?”

Itachi stopped listening for a moment as he connected the details. This sounded like a routine mission; things like this happened all the time: go retrieve items, attacked in the process, return home. Questions now swirled his head. So what about this mission made it different? Why was the Anbu interrogating him as though this was of the utmost importance to the Village security? And why did the Hokage come to the scene of a mission led by only a chunin? Did this mission go that wrong? ...Or was the mission just that important but they thought chunin could handle it? Who did they think he saw? Is the mystery surrounding this mission also connected to why he was back?

“Boruto?”

Itachi snapped back. “I...I’m sorry. I don’t remember anything,” he answered truthfully. “I don’t remember anything before waking up to Sarada holding me.”

“Nothing? You don’t remember what you were chasing or what forced you away from the rest of your team?”

Itachi wracked his brain, but the last fleshed out memory he possessed was staring into Sasuke’s eyes after locking Kabuto in a genjutsu, and that was who knew how many years ago.

“I-I’m sorry, gentlemen,” he finished. “I can’t help you.”

The three men exchanged glances and the jonin picked up his bag. “Do you mind if we peer inside your mind to extract memories?” he asked. “Whoever attacked you might have wiped your memory to avoid detection but we can see your subconscious.”

Itachi just nodded. The man removed a small machine and Itachi noted that he remembered those being so much bigger when he was still alive, and they definitely were not portable back then. He allowed the man to attach a portion of the machine to his head and attach the other half to himself.

“It’s okay, Boruto,” Naruto reassured before the man switched it on. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. You’ll be awake before you know it.”

Itachi felt his consciousness go black. Suddenly it was flipped back on and thought only a few seconds had passed, but when he opened his eyes he instantly noticed the lighting in the room cast long shadows from the setting sun outside, and all four men were now crowded around him, eyebrows furrowed and mouths set into frowns. 

“Nothing?” Naruto said. 

“Nothing,” the jonin said. 

“...Wh-what,” Itachi mustered, shifting his eyes back and forth between them all.

“There’s nothing,” Naruto said. He could hear an edge to his voice. “He can’t see anything at all. It’s like your memory and all of your subconscious was totally wiped.”

“I’ve never seen anything like it… It-it was like you were never alive at all…” The jonin trailed off. 

Naruto stood up suddenly. “Well, thank you. I think we should be done for the evening. If you need anything else you know where to find me.” The three men nodded and hurriedly headed for the door.

Naruto followed, but before Itachi could stand to follow he returned. It had all ended so quickly. “It’s okay,” he tried to assure Itachi as he shut the door behind him.

“What happened?” he asked hurriedly. “Why are we so scared of them? Who are they?”

Naruto sighed. “That’s what the Anbu were here for, Boruto. That’s what they were trying to find out. You saw something and were the only one who did.” He sat back down at his desk and stared down hard at it. “But you don’t need to concern yourself with that anymore. You did your part and I thank you.” He looked up. “You can go rest now.”

But Itachi’s mind was flying again. He knew why they couldn’t see his memories-- because his life had technically just begun-- but he didn't know why they were so concerned about whatever Boruto had seen, or why Naruto and Sasuke had come to the rescue on a chunin-led mission. But he knew it had to do with him, and so it was now his business. 

“What do you think it was?”

Naruto just shook his head. “Boruto, don’t get any ideas. That’s why I wanted to be here: this is for me to worry about now. Just leave it alone, kid.” 

“But-”

“Boruto. Please. Go get some rest.” Naruto stared straight into his eyes as a warning, and Itachi knew from past experiences that arguing with dads didn’t get anyone anywhere. Maybe all dads were the same.

But he knew that if he couldn’t get Naruto to talk about details, he still needed to speak to someone else who was there about it. Plus, if Sasuke was his sensei, maybe that meant he could squeeze some information out of him.

Itachi closed the door to Naruto’s office, and using what stealth skills he still had from his Anbu days, slipped silently out the front door in search of his little brother.


	5. Uchiha, Party of 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Itachi meets his niece and comes face-to-face with his brother.

The sun quickly hid behind the large towers in the heart of the village, buildings that Itachi couldn’t help but note hadn’t been there when he was alive. The whole village had changed in the years since he passed, but he didn’t have time to stop and observe all the differences now, not while he was looking for Sasuke.

Just as he hurried past Ichiraku, a voice called out to him. It didn’t click until the fourth time that the person yelling “Boruto!” was calling for him. Itachi stopped in his tracks and turned to see the man from the picture Mitsuki brought him in the hospital jogging toward him.

“Where are you heading at this hour?” Konohamaru asked, slowing to a stop beside him. “I wanted to come visit but your dad said tomorrow would be better.”

Sarutobi, Itachi instantly heard in his head, but this time the voice was his own. He could tell just from looking at him that he was Lord Third’s grandson. His heart sank. He knew Konohamaru’s parents from the Anbu, and they were killed just months before Itachi deserted the village. So this is what had become of the boy.

“Oh, I’m just trying to get some fresh air,” Itachi responded and started walking again.

Konohamaru lazily followed suit. “How are you feeling? Shouldn’t you be resting? Mitsuki said your memory wasn’t one-hundred percent, and your dad was kind of miffed that you didn’t remember him.” He laughed to himself. “Oh, Big Brother Naruto, always mad over you.” Itachi couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at the clear infatuation in his voice for Naruto. 

“Well, while I was out, I did want to go talk to Sasuke too.”

Konohamaru sighed. “Always looking for Sasuke.” 

Itachi decided to ignore Konohamaru’s obviously disappointed pout and use it as a propelling opportunity. “Do you have any idea where he could be?”

“Probably at home, I’d assume.”

“Great! Do you know where that is by chance?”

Konohamaru slowed his walking to a stop. “Huh,” he said slowly, “you really did lose part of your memory. Does your head feel okay enough to be out right now?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Itachi turned on his heel, feeling the blood rise in his cheeks in annoyance. “I just really need to find him right now...Sensei,” he tacked on in the end. Maybe if he felt respected and not in opposition with Sasuke, he’d be more willing to help.

But Konohamaru just narrowed his eyes even deeper. “Hm. Okay.” He sounded unconvinced, but still he ended with, “Yeah, I’ll show you where he lives. But then you have to promise to go straight home okay? I don’t want your mom coming after me if she finds out I aided you in your little late-night stroll. And at least let me walk you.”

Itachi didn’t want to argue, and at least for the time being neither did Konohamaru. They walked silently side by side through the dark back streets and alleyways to Sasuke’s, the echo of their footsteps the only sound between them. A warmth rose in Itachi’s chest, and he quickly recognized it as the feeling of safety. He couldn’t help but think about the days when he’d walk these same streets with Shisui home after a long day of training. How he looked up to him, wanting to do everything he did, just as Sasuke wanted to do everything Itachi did; he was the older brother he always wanted but never had. And now here he was, decades later, walking these streets with a new role model of a younger generation. A blanket of sadness fell over him. Damn. Where was Shisui now?

“Do you want me to walk you to the door?” Konohamaru asked suddenly. He had stopped walking in front of a large apartment building at the end of the street. 

Itachi looked up at the looming illuminated windows that smiled down at him like teeth. He was up there, somewhere. “I’m okay,” he said quietly. “Thank you, Sensei.”

“Apartment 217,” Konohamaru said. And with that he disappeared, leaving Itachi alone in front of his past and future.

It took him a moment to ease his now shaking hands and to gain the courage to walk inside. He wasn’t one to get easily flustered, but the weight of the significance of this moment was suffocating. He was going to see his brother again, man to man-- or, well, boy to man-- and he might be able to gain information about the mission that could shed some light on why he was back.

Itachi shakily climbed the stairs to the second floor, his legs moving mechanically toward the door, until he was suddenly face to face with the curved black numbers of 217. Do it. He raised his hand to knock three times, his heart beating in time with his fist.

He heard sudden movement behind the door; someone was coming. Don’t pass out, don’t pass out. If he didn’t die from a heart attack right then and now, Itachi was certain he’d never die again. He watched, eyes bulging wide, as the door knob turned to the right. This was the moment of truth.

Itachi didn’t realize he was expecting his brother at the door until his heart skipped a beat at the sight of someone totally different. Staring back at him wasn’t the tall figure of his brother, but the same-height figure of a girl. That girl. His niece.

“Oh, Boruto! Hi!” she chirped, totally oblivious to who was actually standing in front of her. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

Itachi felt his mouth gape open, all words at the tip of his tongue disappearing into smoke in the small four inch gap between him and his niece. His eyes instantly moved over her to take all of her in: he knew those eyes-- those were his brother’s. That hair-- he ruffled the same shock of black hair on Sasuke. He fought the urge to reach out, to see if it felt the same. That little nose. That mouth that was now rapidly molding into a frown; he recognized that too, his memories placing it as the same one Sasuke gave him when he told him he couldn’t play.

“Boruto. Are you okay?”

No. I’m sorry. Itachi’s eyes burned with tears and he still couldn’t force his tongue to move. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there. I’m sorry I couldn’t hold you when you were born or watch you graduate from the academy. I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you awakened your sharingan, to buy you treats when your parents said no, to spoil you rotten. I’m sorry you can’t ever meet your grandparents. All the dreams he ever wanted for his family burned his skin as they dripped down his cheeks.

“Boruto…?” Her eyes widened when she saw the tears drop and turned her head. “Dad it’s Boruto! I think something’s wrong!”

MOVE. Itachi’s mouth finally formed words. “I-I’m sorry,” he choked.

He looked up in time to see Sasuke swing around the corner. “What?” His eyes furrowed at the sight of his student standing small in the doorway, cheeks stained with tears. “What are you doing here? Come in. Is it Naruto? Did something happen?” 

Itachi forced his legs to move over the threshold into the Uchiha household. The last time he was in the head of the Uchiha clan’s home…

“No, I-I’m sorry.” He sniffed and hurriedly wiped his eyes. “I just got overwhelmed, is all. I-I…” Think. He turned his attention to Sarada. “I’m just so happy t-to see you. Thank you for saving me.”

Sarada eyed him cautiously for a moment then broke out into a grin. “You are so weird, you know that?”

“Why are you here?” Sasuke asked again. “Come, sit down. I don’t think you should be out right now”

Itachi followed his brother to the table and sat down opposite of him. Sarada sat down beside her father, and for the first time in decades he was sitting at a table staring out at his family.

“I feel fine,” Itachi maintained. “I know I’m still recovering but there’s no way I can stay cooped up in my room.”

“Typical.” Sarada pursed her lips. So this one’s sassy.

“I just wanted to ask you a few questions about the other night, about what you and...my dad saw.”

Sasuke sat back in his chair and folded his arms; he was a mirror image of their father at that moment. “The Anbu already questioned me,” he said. “We saw nothing, and neither did Sarada. I thought that they were coming to talk to you?”

“Yeah, they did, but they didn’t find anything when they probed me.”

Sasuke sat up and cupped his hands together on the table, intrigued. “What? Nothing?” he asked. “How is that possible?”

Itachi shook his head. “And Na- my dad won’t talk about why this is such a big deal. I want to know what’s going on.”

Sasuke sat silently for a moment, staring down at the table, before closing his eyes and sighing. “Well, if he doesn’t want to tell you anything I don’t think this is necessarily my place either.” 

“Please, Sasuke.” Please, little brother. 

Sasuke shook his head. “To be honest,” he continued, “I know just about as much as you do. It’s not your job to worry about this anymore; it doesn’t even concern you honestly: you just happened to be in the crossfire during the attack. It’s the Anbu’s job now.”

Itachi slammed his fist on the table, surprised at his own fiery personality; must be the part of Boruto. “But if the Anbu is on it then it’s important,” he cried. If the Anbu is on it it’s a last resort. I would know.

Sasuke just stared silently into Itachi’s eyes. He challenged him back for a moment until he was forced to look away; it was a stare so intense he was scared Sasuke could see into his soul, his true soul.

“Just stay out of it,” Sasuke growled. He turned to look at Sarada. “You too.”

“Me?!” she cried, clearly offended. “What did I even do?! I’m not the one who came here after a serious surgery asking questions!”

“I know you, too, and both of you somehow seem to get into trouble when you’re together.”

Sarada’s mouth gaped open. “Don’t lump me in with him!”

Itachi saw Sasuke’s mouth spread into a smirk, the closest thing to a smile he’d seen since he came back. “Okay, calm yourself.” He turned back to Itachi. “I’m sorry, but I can’t help you. I’m just telling you to please drop it and focus on getting better. Do your parents know you came here?”

Itachi considered lying but knew he’d probably just create more problems for himself; he shook his head.

“Mmm. Wonderful. Well, I think you should go back home right now to rest.” His eyes rose to the ceiling as though he was lost in thought. “...And how about this...” he continued, challenging Itachi again with this stare. 

“...If I go home and rest, and keep my nose out of this, we can train tomorrow,” Itachi blurted. This could be his chance to continue to learn and spend more time with Sasuke; he wasn’t going to let his injury and Sasuke’s vagueness end their relationship right here or end his mission for answers.

Sasuke stared ahead silently and raised his cupped hands to his mouth as he considered. Come on, come on. Don’t shut me out, Sasuke. Finally, after what felt like an eternity to Itachi, Sasuke lowered his hands. “Deal,” he said. “Just don’t tell Sakura. She’d kill both of us if she knew you were training this soon out of surgery.”

“Wow, big bribe to keep him from doing anything,” Sarada mused. 

Itachi’s mind wound but he broke out into a large grin that hurt his cheeks. “Deal.”

Sasuke stood to see his student out. Itachi turned to him and Sarada one last time before walking out the door. “See you tomorrow? Both of you?”

Sasuke nodded. “Tomorrow.”

Even after Sasuke shut the door behind him, Itachi stood staring at it for a few more minutes thinking about how it was all that separated him from the loves of his life. While standing there, Sarada’s voice echoed in his ears. “Wow, big bribe to keep him from doing anything,” she had said. Sasuke was risking his student’s health and the wrath of his wife by training Itachi to keep him from sticking his nose in this.

Sasuke had lied. He knew this was serious and was trying to stop Itachi-- Boruto-- from investigating. He wanted to spend time with him to keep him in place.

What were they hiding? And what could he learn from training with Sasuke?


	6. Sasuke, How Have I Hurt You?

So they were hiding something from him, Naruto and Sasuke, that Itachi was sure of. 

Itachi managed to sneak back into the Uzumaki house after visiting Sasuke, but a few minutes later found himself being scolded by a heated Hinata who was displeased that her child had left when he should have been resting; Naruto was nowhere to be found.

He lay in his bed and stared up at the ceiling, hour after hour, at the shadows cast on his wall from the street lamp outside. It was impossible to sleep with so much on his mind. What were they trying to hide? Even if they didn’t want him involved because he was a kid, that still didn’t account for the fact that something serious was going on. Something was after someone. There was a danger, and Itachi felt partially responsible to figure it out.

Sasuke wouldn’t readily talk, so he couldn’t push his brother. He knew Sasuke probably (re: most definitely) had problems opening up and was prone to shutting down easily; he needed to take this relationship slowly and learn about his brother again. In only a few hours time it would be morning and it’d be time for him to meet with Sasuke to train. Before that though, he needed a plan to get to know him better, to see how he had changed over time. And, overall, to see how he himself had changed too.

When the sun finally began to shine overtop the peak of the stone faces the next morning, Itachi had already changed and written a letter to his mother explaining where he’d be. He stepped out onto the front step of the house and was just about to wonder aloud where he was going when he felt a pull to turn right. He didn’t even need to ask where to go to meet Sasuke, or even ask what time they’d meet: a silent voice told him where to go, the same one from the hospital that told him Hinata Uzumaki was his mother. Clearly some of Boruto was sinking into and syncing with his brain now.

His legs led him to the outskirts of town and he felt the sudden pain of nostalgia sting his heart. He recognized his surroundings: this was the Uchiha training grounds, the ones Sasuke used to follow him to as a kid. Now he was following his brother for that guidance. 

Itachi quickly looked around and saw no one, so he allowed himself to walk slowly around the posts scattered around the open field and observe the holes that punctuated the targets. Were these his marks? Proof that he had existed in another body at one time? He reached out to rub a finger over them, almost as though he was wishing for a memory to jump out at him, but either one from himself or Boruto he didn’t know.

This was depressing and a little surreal. Here was a part of his past life and his new life drawn together, a symbol of now and what might have been. These grounds held so many memories and so many promises of a life unfinished. This is where he perfected his shuriken skills, keeping one eye on the shuriken and another on Sasuke hiding in the shadows. This is where he excitedly shared with Shisui that he was joining the Anbu. This is where…

Over the sound of shivering leaves, he could hear the muffled rushing of water in the distance. Just beyond these trees, protecting this field like a baby bird, was where Shisui killed himself. 

Shit. All at once the emotions and memories from this place flooded his head and he felt dizzy. He sat down against a target to catch his receding breath.

“Lazy already?” 

Itachi looked up to see Sasuke standing before him, coldly, a hand on his hip. He hadn’t even heard him approach.

He scrambled to his feet and heard himself stutter an apology as though he was slightly frightened by Sasuke, like there wasn’t another person in the world he wanted to please more. He honestly half expected his brother to be grinning and bounding up to him asking if he can help, but by his looming stance, it appeared as if he was the one who was waiting for Boruto to rush up to him begging for guidance. 

“How are you feeling?” Sasuke asked before Itachi had a chance to defend himself.

“Fine…”

“Are you up for training?”

“Of course!” he cried. Though really, what he wanted even more, was a chance to talk. 

“So show me this then,” Sasuke said, gliding closer. “You bragged the other day about making a rasengan bigger than even your dad’s. Let’s see it.” Itachi noticed a sharp edge to his voice as he barked the direction and he took a step backward in surprise.

For a moment he felt stuck. Rasengan? Like the fourth? Surely he couldn’t do that; Itachi never had that ability. He was about to open his mouth to come up with an excuse when his body began moving on its own. His hands reached out instinctively and he could feel his chakra move toward his hands, spinning out tightly. In front of him he watched in awe as a swirling blue ball emerged between them without even having to stop to think about what he was doing. The rasengan! Never in his past life had he tried a jutsu like this, yet from the way his chakra and body moved simultaneously, he could have sworn he had been doing this his whole life. The ball kept growing larger in his palms and he drew his hands outward to accommodate. 

He looked up at Sasuke eagerly for approval-- Sasuke, do you see this?! I am doing the rasengan!-- but Sasuke just stared at it bored like it was only a kid’s party trick.

A memory flashed in Itachi’s mind. As a child this would have absolutely delighted Sasuke, the color swirling and twirling about. He was obsessed as a toddler with watching people perform the fireball jutsu; he remembered the way his eyes would dance over the flame, his mouth slightly open in awe, as if he couldn’t believe that someday he’d be able to do the same thing. Of course he was an adult now, and an accomplished one at that, so he wouldn’t be as amused by jutsu he could perform, but Itachi noticed how much his disappointed face resembled Fugaku in that moment and how disappointed Sasuke would have been if Itachi told him that. Sasuke wanted to be like his father, but Itachi was sure Sasuke wouldn’t want to be as jaded and strict. Oh no. Not the Sasuke he knew. 

“It’s definitely large,” Sasuke said impassively. 

“As...as big as my dad’s?” Itachi’s mouth blurted eagerly.

“I think I’ve seen him make bigger.” Oh Sasuke, what happened to you?

Even though Itachi had never created a rasengan in his life, and didn’t know if Boruto had ever created a bigger one, he felt a personal pull to push himself to his limits until he impressed his brother. The pull was so large and so deep, he knew it was an innate need inside both Boruto’s body and Itachi’s soul.

“Watch this!” He heard himself cry out, and after maximizing out the size he could, he threw it past Sasuke’s head and into the open field. It razored down trees at the far end and continued to cut down everything in its trajectory until they could only see an open path that led as far as they could see.

“That was...impressive,” Sasuke settled on. Itachi saw his eyes were widened only by a small amount, but by the way his heart pounded in delight, he knew that this must have been the reaction Boruto trained for. Sasuke, do you ever show that you’re proud anymore?

Itachi felt himself grin but instantly saw the world slant as another bout of dizziness overtook him. He faltered slightly and slunk to the ground.

“Maybe you overdid it.” He looked up to see the shadow of his brother towering over him, eclipsed from the sun, but an arm swooped down to hand him water. He reached up to take it and that’s when he noticed it.

“Your arm!” Itachi cried. 

“My arm?”

Itachi clamped his mouth shut, remembering his self-rules about needing to not talk about anything unless someone brought it up first. (But how did he not notice yesterday? Sasuke was missing an arm!)

Sasuke pulled his cape around tighter to his body. “I’ve never had a left arm,” he deadpanned. “It’s always been this way.”

Liar. Maybe if “always” started after Itachi died. 

Sasuke what happened to you? his brain screamed again. But he watched as Sasuke just stared down at him, eyes completely blank. Again, he knew Sasuke would be more closed down, but he just didn’t prepare himself for this complete change. Yet of course it would be this way. Didn’t he himself, Itachi, warn Naruto all those years ago? He was prepared then. So why did it hurt so much to see his brother this withdrawn now? 

Maybe this is what Itachi was supposed to fix: his brother. Their relationship. How could he do that though if Sasuke couldn’t know (at least yet) that he was actually Itachi?

“Drink.” Sasuke snapped Itachi back to his thoughts. He noticed he was staring at Sasuke, the bottle of water to his lips but not touching. He gulped down the water as Sasuke settled down next to him. 

“Maybe you should rest for a while.”

Itachi gasped coming up for air after downing the water. “Okay. And in the meantime maybe we could just talk,” he said.

“Talk?” Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him. After a second of looking at Itachi, whose face didn’t budge, he leaned back against a post and said, “Okay, what would you like to talk about?”

“Well...okay…” Itachi’s mind whirled. Just from looking at his brother, his soul begged to know how he strayed so far from the Sasuke he knew. It was his fault, wasn’t it-- he was the catalyst that launched Sasuke down this path. He thought he returned when he saw him working with Naruto, but of course the pain couldn’t completely clear; sometimes there are just some things you can’t come back from and you’re changed forever. Yet something cleared enough to make him return and become a doting father.

And since he made such a mistake the first time with Sasuke, isn’t it his responsibility then to fix it and make sure he didn’t damage Sasuke further? What can he learn about healing from Sasuke? “Well. What does it mean to be a shinobi?” he finally settled upon.

“Wow,” Sasuke said, “that must have really been a big bump on your head. What makes you ask such a question?”

“I just feel like I’ve changed a lot the last few days. Life was really put into perspective for me…”

“You’re wondering about pain,” Sasuke said pointedly as though he completely understood every thought in Itachi’s mind. “Why some people die for something, like something so small as retrieving documents for the village, like what happened to you.”

Sure. “Well, I mean, I get that it’s for our security. I’d do anything for the Leaf…” I’d protect the Leaf all over again, but how can I still save you? he wanted to scream. What can I change? Tell me how to be the right shinobi because I was wrong the first time! “I just don’t know what’s necessary and what’s...not.”

“It’s all necessary,” Sasuke replied, “to keep your people safe. You make sacrifices to keep those you love alive, and therefore it’s all necessary. Pain. Suffering. You can’t separate that and peace. With peace follows suffering. You know death sometimes happens. But you know, your father does a pretty good job at making sure people feel the peace without the suffering.” 

“And so what’s your role?” Itachi blurted before he could stop himself. 

Sasuke eyed him. “My role? To take on that pain to ensure everyone else can live in peace.” He laughed once, a dry bark. “You have had such a good life so far because of all your father has done, honestly-- don’t tell him I said that though or I’ll kill you-- it’s hard for you to comprehend how much pain there is because you’ve never seen it. Being a shinobi now may mean something different than it used to because of the peace you’ve seen, but someday the darkness may return, and I want to prepare you. Sometimes your dad has too rose-colored of glasses on, and though he’s a strong shinobi, we need to prepare your generation to take over someday.” How did I miss our generation taking over?

“But there has to be a way to make everyone happy. Right? How do you save everyone?”

Sasuke sighed. “Sometimes you can’t.” You can’t truly believe that, Sasuke, can you? Did I help create this view? “And that’s just the harsh truth of being a shinobi. One your father doesn’t seem to subscribe to, and one you’re questioning now. Coming close to death for you has just made you question why this is even worth it, and I’ll admit, I once questioned the same thing, but I…” He stopped.

“You what?”

“Nothing,” he murmured. Itachi couldn’t read his eyes. Sasuke, let me in. Realistically he knew he couldn’t expect him to be the same wide-eyed little boy with so much wonder for the world, but he still reeled at no longer being able to read his brother like an open book. 

“So we sacrifice ourselves for the ones we love because that’s what we’re supposed to do,” Itachi pressed on, “...and what happens to them? We do it for them, but what happens after?” Can we save them? Tell me how to go back and save you and I’ll do it.

Sasuke shrugged. “That’s up to them. They choose their own path and how they cope. But I guess our goal is to make sure as many people are as safe and happy as possible so no one has to make the choice about ‘after.’ There shouldn’t be an ‘after.’”

“Yet you still don’t believe you can save everyone?” Itachi pushed.

“Darkness will always exist, just like I said. Unfortunately there’s not always a happy ending, so all we can do is try but be realistic about it.” So do you think you could go back to save yourself?

“Are you done philosophizing now?” Sasuke asked.

But before Itachi had a chance to answer, a hawk swooped down from the sky. Sasuke hastily untied a note and read it quickly before jumping to his feet. “Sorry,” he said, swiftly walking away now. “I have to go. We’ll continue this later.” He disappeared without so much as a look back at his brother still sitting on the ground. 

He was alone. Well, Itachi, is that what you expected? Obviously Sasuke would have changed, but he didn’t realize how much he was wishing deep down it wasn’t true. Somehow he thought he would have changed, but that his small, eager little brother would be at his core. If that little Sasuke was still in there, he was iced over and frozen by now. So much had changed.

This was supposed to be a way to get more of an in to learn more about what he and Naruto were hiding from him in regards to the mission that brought him back, but now he felt just as compelled to work out the knots that had developed inside of Sasuke. He not only needed to get to the bottom of the mission that was for sure a reason he came back, he knew he definitely needed to heal his relationship with Sasuke and bring closure to that past. 

So if he wanted to find a way to start getting to know his brother again, to learn what had brought Sasuke to this state, and Sasuke wasn’t budging much, where should he start? Where should he go that he knows and feels most like himself, when Sasuke was still innocent, when they were just brothers? His eyes settled on the large Uchiha stone across the field that designated this land to his family. That was it. He needed to go back to where it all started and ended. He needed to go home. 

+

Naruto faced the window, hands behind his back, with his back to Sasuke. “Are you sure?” he asked.

“Positive,” Sasuke replied firmly.

“We shouldn’t jump to any conclusions-” Shikamaru began but Sasuke cut him off. 

“I know what I saw. Something happened that night to him. I thought at first someone wiped his mind with a jutsu and that’s why he had no memories, but I think someone just locked them down. I think someone used a very powerful jutsu and the enemy took him over.” He took a step closer to Naruto.

“I could see it in his eyes, Naruto. It’s not Boruto. Someone else is in his body. I was suspicious last night but today... I think he’s trying to gain information to see what we know about what they are doing to report back to his team. I’ll keep a watch on him. He’s my responsibility,” Sasuke growled.

Naruto’s eyes focused hard on the village outside. “But he’s my child,” he argued, turning around to face his friends standing in front of his desk. At first Sasuke thought he was responding to his claim that he was Sasuke’s responsibility, but he realized after leaving that Naruto was really saying 'How could someone take my child?'


End file.
